Portable digital video camera configured for remote image acquisition control and viewing

ABSTRACT

A wearable digital video camera ( 10 ) is equipped with wireless connection protocol and global navigation and location positioning system technology to provide remote image acquisition control and viewing. The Bluetooth® packet-based open wireless technology standard protocol ( 400 ) is preferred for use in providing control signals or streaming data to the digital video camera and for accessing image content stored on or streaming from the digital video camera. The GPS technology ( 402 ) is preferred for use in tracking of the location of the digital video camera as it records image information. A rotating mount ( 300 ) with a locking member ( 330 ) on the camera housing ( 22 ) allows adjustment of the pointing angle of the wearable digital video camera when it is attached to a mounting surface.

PRIORITY CLAIM

The present application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.13/822,255 having a 371(c) date of Sep. 20, 2013, which is a nationalphase application of International App. No. PCT/US2011/051418 filed Sep.13, 2011, which claims priority benefit to U.S. Prov. Pat. App. No.61/382,404 filed Sep. 13, 2010.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to point-of-view (POV) video cameras orcamcorders and, in particular, to an integrated hands-free, POV actionsports video camera or camcorder that is configured for remote imageacquisition control and viewing.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

First-person video cameras are a relatively new product category thathave been adapted to capture POV video by action sports enthusiasts in ahands-free manner. Conventional first-person video cameras primarilycomprise a lens that must be tethered to a separate digital videorecorder or camcorder. FIGS. 1A and 1B present pictorial views of priorart first-person video cameras requiring a tethered lens approach tocapturing first-person video recording. FIG. 1A presents a Twenty20™device, and FIG. 1B presents a Viosport™ device. FIGS. 1C and 1D presentpictorial views of prior art video cameras tethered to camcorders forimplementing the tethered lens approach to capturing first-person videorecording. FIG. 1C and FIG. 1D present Samsung™ devices.

These products are not generally hands-free products, and consumers havebeen employing their own unique mounting techniques to permit“hands-free” video recording of action sports activities. FIG. 1Epresents a pictorial view of a tethered camera attempting to facilitatehands-free POV video recording. FIG. 1E presents a Blackeye™ device.These recent devices attempt to convey image data from “tethered”cameras to separate camcorders through IR signals to eliminate thetethering cables.

More recently, integrated hands-free, POV action sports video camerashave become available. FIGS. 2A and 2B present pictorial views of twoprior art products implementing integrated solutions to first-personvideo recording. These products are still in their infancy and may bedifficult to use well.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

Preferred embodiments of a portable digital video camera or camcorder(hereinafter collectively, “video camera”) are equipped with globalpositioning system (GPS) technology for data acquisition and wirelessconnection protocol to provide remote image acquisition control andviewing. A wireless connection protocol, such as the Bluetooth®packet-based open wireless technology standard protocol, is used toprovide control signals or stream data to a wearable video camera and toaccess image content stored on or streaming from a wearable videocamera. Performing intelligent frame analysis of the image contentenables picture setup optimization on one or more cameras simultaneouslyto enable multi-angle and three-dimensional video. A GPS receiverintegrated in the video camera enables tracking of the location of thevideo camera as it acquires image information. The GPS receiver enablesperiodic capture of location once every few seconds with near pinpointaccuracy to bring together video and mapping. The inclusion of GPStechnology introduces a new level of context to any video, makinglocation, speed, time, and outside world conditions as important as thescene recorded. GPS capability makes it relatively easy to capture videowithin the action and share it online in seconds. For example, a usercan watch an epic run down any mountain while tracking progress, speed,and elevation on a map. The GPS data, together with high definitionvideo images, can be readily edited to organize video content, configurethe video camera, and post stories online.

GPS ground plane customization and electrical coupling to the housing orother metal components of the video camera improves reception andperformance. The ground plane is maximized by coupling it with analuminum case that houses the video camera. The result is higher antennagain and consequent enhanced signal reception when the video camera ismounted in multiple positions.

The video camera is configured with a signal path that allows forprovision of a separate signal security module for use with only thoseapplications that require the separate security module. An iPhone™security module is packaged separately in a small subscriber identitymodule (SIM) card form factor.

Simplified mounting of the wearable video camera is accomplished byrotating the horizon 180° so that the video camera can be mounted fullyupside down as the picture remains in the proper orientation. Rotationof the horizon may be accomplished electrically or mechanically. Arotating mount with a locking feature that allows adjustment of theangle of the video camera when it is attached to a mounting surface usesan adhesive, a strap, or another connection option. The video camerahousing is equipped with a scissor spring to assist in moving a slideswitch actuator over a long travel range. A user wearing the videocamera uses the slide switch actuator to initiate video image recording.

The portable digital video camera includes a camera housing and a lens.

Some embodiments of the portable digital video camera comprise anintegrated hands-free, POV action sports digital video camera.

Some embodiments of the portable digital video camera or the integratedhands-free, POV action sports digital video camera include an imagesensor for capturing image data.

Some embodiments of the portable digital video camera or the integratedhands-free, POV action sports digital video camera include a manualhorizon adjustment control for adjusting an orientation of a horizontalimage plane recorded by the image sensor with respect to a housing planeof the camera housing.

Some embodiments of the portable digital video camera or the integratedhands-free, POV action sports digital video camera include a laseralignment system with one or more laser sources capable of projectinglight emissions to define a horizontal projection axis that iscoordinated with orientation of the horizontal image plane.

Some embodiments of the portable digital video camera or the integratedhands-free, POV action sports digital video camera include a microphoneand a manually operable switch for controlling one or both of audio andvideo data capturing operations, the switch having an activator that maycover the microphone whenever the switch is in the OFF position.

Some embodiments of the portable digital video camera or the integratedhands-free, POV action sports digital video camera include a“quick-release” mounting system that can be used in conjunction with thelaser alignment system to adjust the image capture orientation forpitch, yaw, and roll.

Additional aspects and advantages will be apparent from the followingdetailed description of preferred embodiments, which proceeds withreference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E constitute a set of pictorial views of fiveprior art products implementing a tethered lens approach to capturingfirst-person video recording.

FIGS. 2A and 2B constitute a set of pictorial views of two prior artproducts implementing integrated solutions to first-person videorecording.

FIGS. 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 3E, and 3F are, respectively, front perspective,back perspective, side elevation, front elevation, back elevation, andtop plan views of an embodiment of an integrated hands-free, POV actionsports digital video camera.

FIG. 4A is a front perspective view of an embodiment of an integratedhands-free, POV action sports digital video camera, showing alternativepositioning of a switch and representative alternative rotation of arotary horizontal adjustment controller.

FIG. 4B is a back perspective view of an embodiment of an integratedhands-free, POV action sports digital video camera, showing arepresentative alternative number of rail cavities and an optionaldetent within a rail cavity.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional side view of an embodiment of an integratedhands-free, POV action sports digital video camera.

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of mechanical components of an embodiment ofan integrated hands-free, POV action sports digital video camera.

FIG. 7 is an exploded view of optical and mechanical components of anintegrated hands-free, POV action sports digital video camera.

FIGS. 8A and 8B are fragmentary cross-sectional views of the lens systemof the camera of FIG. 7, showing, respectively, a standard lens and thestandard lens fitted with a lens filter.

FIG. 9 is a partly exploded view of a versatile mounting systemdemonstrating ease of adjustment of camera mount orientation coupledwith ease of camera detachment with retention of the mount orientation.

FIG. 10 is a front perspective view of a standard mount, employing arail plug having two rails and two detents.

FIGS. 11A, 11B, 11C, and 11D are, respectively, back elevation, frontelevation, side elevation, and top plan views of the versatile mountingsystem, demonstrating the matable relationship between the camera ofFIGS. 3A-3E with the standard mount shown in FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of an alternative mount, employing twomounting rails and two detents.

FIG. 13A is a front perspective view of a pole mount system, employingthe mount of FIG. 12.

FIGS. 13B and 13C are cross-sectional side views of a pole mount systemshowing, respectively, unlocked and locked configurations.

FIGS. 13D and 13E are front perspective views of a pole mount systemshowing, respectively, unlocked and locked configurations about a handlebar.

FIG. 14A is a front perspective view of an alternative pole mountsystem, employing the mount of FIG. 12 and a strap.

FIGS. 14B and 14C are respective side and front views of the alternativepole mount of FIG. 14A.

FIG. 14D is a front perspective view of the alternative pole mount ofFIG. 14A locked about a pole.

FIG. 15A is a front perspective view of a goggle mount, employing astrap entrance facing in the opposite direction of the mounting rails.

FIG. 15B is a side elevation view of an alternative goggle mount,employing a strap entrance facing in the same direction of the mountingrails.

FIG. 15C is a fragmentary front perspective view of the alternativegoggle mount of FIG. 15B mounted upon a goggle strap.

FIG. 16 is a front perspective view of a vented helmet mount, adaptedfor employing a strap for attachment to a vented helmet.

FIG. 17 is a front perspective view of another alternative goggle mount,adapted for employing a strap for attachment to a goggle strap.

FIG. 18 is a front perspective view of an alternative pole mount system,employing the rail plug of FIG. 10.

FIGS. 19 and 20 are, respectively, perspective and top plan views of amounting system comprising a rotating circular rail plug set in a basemount configured with a locking feature.

FIGS. 21 and 22 are, respectively, perspective and top plan views of thebase mount of FIGS. 19 and 20.

FIGS. 23A, 23B, 23C, 23D, and 23E, are, respectively, perspective, topplan, end elevation, side elevation, and bottom plan views of a slidablelockable member installed in the base mount of FIGS. 21 and 22.

FIG. 24 is an exploded view of the mounting system of FIGS. 19 and 20,to which is attached an attaching mechanism.

FIGS. 25A, 25B, 25C, and 25D are front perspective views of the digitalvideo camera of FIGS. 4A and 4B, showing its lens set in a verticalposition, with the camera housing rotated 90° counter-clockwise, notrotated, rotated 90° clockwise, and rotated 180° to an invertedposition, respectively, relative to the vertical position. FIG. 25E is afront elevation view of the digital video camera in the orientation ofFIG. 25B annotated with dimension lines indicating ranges of angulardisplacement of a horizontal image plane achievable by manual rotationof the rotary horizontal adjustment controller.

FIGS. 26A and 26B are, respectively, front perspective and top planviews of the digital video camera of FIGS. 4A and 4B with its slidableswitch activator in a recording ON slide setting position; and

FIGS. 27A and 27B are, respectively, front perspective and top planviews of the digital video camera of FIGS. 4A and 4B with its slidableswitch activator in a recording OFF slide setting position.

FIG. 28 is a partly exploded view of the digital video camera of FIGS.26A, 26B, 27A, and 27B.

FIGS. 29A and 29B show, respectively, perspective and exploded views ofa GPS assembly that includes a GPS patch antenna and GPS receiver moduleto provide GPS functionality in the digital video camera of FIGS. 26A,26B, 27A, and 27B.

FIG. 30 is a simplified block diagram showing a preferred implementationof wireless technology in the digital video camera of FIGS. 26A, 26B,27A, and 27B.

FIG. 31 is a flow diagram showing the pairing of two devices byBluetooth® wireless connection.

FIG. 32 is a flow diagram showing an example of pairing aBluetooth®-enabled microphone and the digital video camera of FIGS. 26A,26B, 27A, and 27B.

FIG. 33 is a flow diagram showing a preferred camera mounting positionadjustment procedure carried out by a helmet-wearing user to align ahelmet-mounted digital video camera of FIGS. 26A, 26B, 27A, and 27B.

FIG. 34 is a flow diagram showing a preferred manual lighting level andcolor settings adjustment procedure carried out by a user uponcompletion of the camera mounting position adjustment procedure of FIG.33.

FIG. 35 is a flow diagram showing a preferred automatic lighting leveland color settings adjustment procedure carried out by a user aftercompleting the camera mounting position adjustment of FIG. 33.

FIG. 36 shows two of the digital video cameras of FIGS. 26A, 26B, 27A,and 27B aimed at a common color chart.

FIG. 37 is a flow diagram showing the digital video camera of FIGS. 26A,26B, 27A, and 27B and a mobile controller device paired by Bluetooth®wireless connection and cooperating to accomplish without security thepass-through of data from a second Bluetooth®-enabled digital videocamera.

FIG. 38 is a hybrid flow diagram and pictorial illustration of a mobilecontroller device paired by Bluetooth® wireless data and control commandconnection to two digital video cameras of FIGS. 26A, 26B, 27A, and 27Bto implement a remote Start/Stop capability for multiple cameras.

FIG. 39 is a flow diagram showing an example of pairing two digitalvideo cameras of FIGS. 26A, 26B, 27A, and 27B by Bluetooth® wirelessconnection through a mobile controller device.

FIG. 40 is a block diagram showing the post-processing procedure ofsynchronizing audio data produced by a wireless microphone andhard-wired microphone incorporated in the digital video camera of FIGS.26A, 26B, 27A, and 27B.

FIG. 41 is a simplified block diagram showing the processing of a singletrack of data from one data source.

FIG. 42 is a simplified block diagram showing the processing of multipletracks of data from multiple data sources.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIGS. 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 3E, and 3F are, respectively, front perspective,back perspective, side elevation, front elevation, back elevation, andtop plan views of an embodiment of an integrated hands-free, POV actionsports digital video camera 10, and FIGS. 4A and 4B are front and backperspective views of, respectively, an alternative configuration and analternative embodiment of digital video camera 10. For purposes of thisdescription, the term “camera” is intended to cover camcorder(s) as wellas camera(s). An example of such a digital video camera 10 is includedin the Contour 1080P™ system, marketed by Contour, Inc., of Seattle,Wash.

FIGS. 5, 6, 7, 8A, and 8B show optical and mechanical components ofdigital video camera 10. With reference to FIGS. 3A-3F, 4A, 4B, 5, 6, 7,8A, and 8B, some embodiments of digital video camera 10 include a manualhorizon adjustment control system 12 including a manual horizonadjustment control for adjusting an orientation of a horizontal imageplane 16 of an image recorded by an image sensor 18 with respect to ahousing plane 20 (along a vertical cross-section) of a camera housing22. An exemplary image sensor 18 may be a CMOS image capture card thatprovides for minimum illumination of 0.04 Lux@f/1.2 and offers highsensitivity for low-light operation, low fixed pattern noise,anti-blooming, zero smearing, and low power consumption.

With reference to FIGS. 3A, 3C, 3F, 4A, 6, and 7, in some embodiments,the manual horizon adjustment control is a rotary controller 14 thatrotates about a control axis 24 such that manual rotation of rotarycontroller 14 changes the orientation of horizontal image plane 16 withrespect to housing plane 20. The manual horizon adjustment control canbe used to offset horizontal image plane 16 with respect to the pitch,yaw, and roll of the mounting position of camera housing 22.

In some preferred embodiments, rotary controller 14 is positioned abouta lens 26 and cooperates with a lens shroud 32 to support lens 26 withincamera housing 22 such that manual rotation of rotary controller 14rotates lens 26 with respect to camera housing 22. In other embodiments,lens 26 may remain fixed with respect to camera housing 22 even thoughrotary controller 14 rotates around lens 26. In some embodiments, lens26 is a 3.6 mm focal length, four-element glass lens with a 135° viewingangle and a focal length covering a large range, such as from arm'slength (e.g., 500 mm) to infinity, which focuses visual information ontoimage sensor 18 at a resolution such as at 1920×1080. Skilled personswill appreciate that a variety of types and sizes of suitable lenses arecommercially available.

In some preferred embodiments, image sensor 18 is supported inrotational congruence with the orientation of rotary controller 14 suchthat manual rotation of rotary controller 14 rotates image sensor 18with respect to housing plane 20 of camera housing 22. When image sensor18 has a fixed relationship with the orientation of rotary controller14, the image data captured by image sensor 18 do not require anypost-capture horizon adjustment processing to obtain play back of theimage data with a desired horizontal image plane 16. In particular,rotary controller 14 can be set to a desired horizontal image plane 16,and image sensor 18 will capture the image data with respect to theorientation of horizontal image plane 16. In some embodiments, imagesensor 18 may remain fixed with respect to camera housing 22 even thoughrotary controller 14 rotates around image sensor 18.

With reference to FIGS. 6, 7, 8A, and 8B, in some embodiments, anexemplary optical assembly 34 shows how image sensor 18 and lens 26 maybe supported in rotational congruence by the cooperation of lens shroud32, an internal rotation controller 36, and rotary controller 14. Insome preferred embodiments, rotary controller 14 may be separated fromcamera housing 22 by a gap 37 to facilitate the rotation of rotarycontroller 14 with respect to camera housing 22.

A lens cap holder 38 may be secured to rotary controller 14 by screwthreads and cooperates with an O-ring 40 a and to provide support for alens cover 42 (such as a piece of glass). A lens holder 44 and a lensassembly holder 46 may also be employed to support lens 26 in a desiredposition with respect to the other components in optical assembly 34.Lens assembly holder 46 may be secured to lens cap holder 38 by screwthreads and an O-ring 40 b. An O-ring or bearings 43 may be employedbetween lens assembly holder 46 and a main housing 100 to facilitate therotation of lens assembly holder 46 about control axis 24 with respectto main housing 100. A set screw 45 may be employed to secure lensassembly holder 46 of optical assembly 34 to main housing 100 withoutimpeding the rotation of lens assembly holder 46 or the componentswithin it. In some embodiments, rotary controller 14, lens cap holder38, O-ring 40 a, lens cover 42, lens shroud 32, laser sources 48, lens26, lens holder 44, image sensor 18, internal rotation controller 36,O-ring 40 b, and lens assembly holder 46 of optical assembly 34 mayrotate together. Skilled persons will appreciate that several of thesecomponents may be fixed with respect to camera housing 22 or theirsynchronized rotation may be relaxed. For example, lens cover 42, lens26, and lens holder 44 need not rotate.

With reference to FIG. 8B, rotary controller 14 may support a lensfilter or other lens component, or rotary controller 14 may includescrew threads or other means to enable attachment of additional oralternative lens components.

In some embodiments, rotary controller 14 cooperates with an encoder toorient image sensor 18 to a desired horizontal image plane 16.Alternatively, the encoder could guide post-capture horizon adjustmentprocessing to adjust horizontal image plane 16 of the captured image sothat it is transformed to play back the image data with the encodedhorizontal image plane 16.

In some embodiments, rotary controller 14 is positioned in one or bothof an arbitrary location away from lens 26 and an arbitrary relationshipwith the position of image sensor 18. For example, rotary controller 14may be positioned on a side 28 of camera housing 22 or on a back door30, and rotary controller 14 may remotely control the orientation ofimage sensor 18 or may control an encoder. Skilled persons willappreciate that an arbitrarily located manual horizon adjustment controlneed not be of a rotary type and may be of an electronic instead of amechanical type.

In some embodiments, rotary controller 14 provides greater than or equalto 180° rotation of horizontal image plane 16 with respect to housingplane 20 of camera housing 22 in each of the clockwise andcounterclockwise directions. In one example, rotary controller 14provides 180° plus greater than or equal to 6° of additional rotation ineach direction, providing a 360° rotation of horizontal image plane 16with respect to housing plane 20. This adjustability includesembodiments in which the orientation of rotary controller 14 is incongruence with the orientation of image sensor 18, as well asembodiments employing an encoder. Preferably, both lens 26 and imagesensor 18 rotate together 360° within a pivoting hermetically sealedcapsule. This means that, no matter how an operator mounts digital videocamera 10, image sensor 18 can be rotated to capture a level world.

With reference to FIGS. 4A and 4B, in some embodiments, a rotationindicator 54 is provided on an exterior surface 56 of rotary controller14. Rotation indicator 54 may take the form of a horizontal notch orraised bar that may be of a different color from the color of camerahousing 22. Camera housing 22 may have set in a fixed position a notchor raised bar 58 that is similar to or smaller than rotation indicator54. Rotation indicator 54 and notch or raised bar 58 may be of the samecolor or of different colors. The angular extent of dislocation betweenrotation indicator 54 and notch 58 provides a physical indication of theamount that rotary controller 14 is displaced from its “home” positionwith respect to camera housing 22.

In some preferred embodiments, rotation indicator 54 and horizontalnotch 58 are in a collinear alignment (in the “home” position) whenhorizontal image plane 16 is perpendicular to housing plane 20. Thus, ifdigital video camera 10 were set on a level horizontal surface and thetwo notches were collinear, horizontal image plane 16 would behorizontal.

With reference to FIGS. 3A, 3C, 3D, 3F, 4A, 7, and 8 in preferredembodiments, one or more laser sources 48 are fitted within rotarycontroller 14, are oriented with horizontal image plane 16, and arecapable of projecting light emission(s) to define a horizontalprojection axis or plane 52 that is parallel to or coplanar withhorizontal image plane 16. Thus, manual rotation of rotary controller 14changes the orientation of horizontal projection axis 52 with respect tohousing plane 20 as the orientation of horizontal image plane 16 ischanged with respect to horizontal projection axis 52. The beam(s) oflight forming horizontal projection axis 52 can be used as a guide by anoperator to facilitate adjustment of horizontal image plane 16 by simplerotation of rotary controller 14 after camera housing 22 has beenmounted.

In some embodiments, a single laser source 48 may employ beam shapingoptics and or a beam shaping aperture, filter, or film to provide adesired beam shape such as a line, lines of decreasing or increasingsize, or a smiley face. In some embodiments, only a single beam shape isprovided. In some embodiments, multiple beam shapes are provided and canbe exchanged such as through manual or electronic rotation of a laserfilter. Skilled persons will appreciate that two or more laser sources48 may be outfitted with beam shaping capabilities that cooperate witheach other to provide horizontal projection axis 52 or an image thatprovides horizontal projection axis 52 or other guidance tool.

In some embodiments, two laser sources 48 (or two groups of lasersources) are employed to project two beams of light that determinehorizontal projection axis 52. Two laser sources 48 may be mounted onopposite sides of lens 26 such that their positions determine a lasermounting axis that bisects lens 26. In some embodiments, lens shroud 32provides support for laser sources 48 such that they are positioned toemit light through apertures 60 in lens shroud 32 (FIG. 7). In someembodiments, an alternative or additional optical support barrel 32 amay support laser source 48 and the other optical components.

Laser sources 48 may be diode lasers that are similar to those used inlaser pointers. Laser sources 48 preferably project the samewavelength(s) of light. In some embodiments, an operator may selectbetween a few different wavelengths, such as for red or green, dependingon contrast with the background colors. In some embodiments, twowavelengths may be projected simultaneously or alternately. For example,four laser sources may be employed with red and green laser sources 48positioned on each side of lens 26 such that red and green horizontalprojection axes 52 are projected simultaneously or alternately in theevent that one of the colors does not contrast with the background.

In some embodiments, laser sources 48 may be responsive to a powerswitch or button 64, which in some examples may be located on back door30 of camera housing 22. A rotation of horizon adjustment control system12 or rotary controller 14 may provide laser sources 48 with an ONcondition responsive to a timer, which may be preset such as for fiveseconds or may be a user selectable time period. Alternatively, a singlepress of button 64 may provide laser sources 48 with an ON conditionwith a second press of button 64 providing an OFF condition.Alternatively, a single press of button 64 may provide an ON conditionresponsive to a timer, which may be preset such as for five seconds ormay be a user selectable time period. Alternatively, button 64 mayrequire continuous pressure to maintain laser sources 48 in an ONcondition. Button 64 may also control other functions such as standbymode. Skilled persons will appreciate that many variations are possibleand are well within the domain of skilled practitioners.

Skilled persons will also appreciate that any type of video screen, suchas those common to conventional camcorders, may be connected to or be apart of camera housing 22. Such video screen and any associated touchdisplay may also be used as feedback for orientation in conjunction withor separately from laser sources 48. Skilled persons will appreciatethat the video screen may take the form of a micro-display mountedinternally to camera housing 22 with a viewing window to the screenthrough camera housing 22 or may take the form of an external LCDscreen.

With reference to FIGS. 3A, 3B, 3C, 3F, 4A, 4B, 5, and 6, in preferredembodiments, digital video camera 10 has a manually operable switchactivator 80 that controls one or both of the recording condition ofimage sensor 18 and conveyance of the acquired image data to a datastorage medium, such as on a two-gigabyte MicroSD card. In someembodiments, digital video camera 10 is designed to use pulse power toconserve battery life while monitoring switch activator 80. When switchactivator 80 is positioned to the ON position, the pulse power system isinstructed to provide full power to the electronics and begin recordingimmediately; similarly, when switch activator 80 is positioned to theOFF position, the pulse power system is instructed to cut power to theelectronics and stop recording immediately.

In some preferred embodiments, when switch activator 80 is slid ortoggled, it moves a magnetic reed that is recognized from an impulsepower sensor. Once the sensor recognizes the magnetic reed has beentoggled to the ON position, the pulse power system is then triggered topower up most or all of the electronics of digital video camera 10,including all of the electronics required for recording as well asselected other electronics or simply all the electronics. Once fullpower is provided to the system electronics, a feed from image sensor 18begins encoding and writing to the data storage medium. As soon as thefirst frames are written to the data storage medium, a signal is sent toan LED 82 to indicate via a light pipe 84 that digital video camera 10is recording. Thus, activation of switch activator 80 initiatesrecording nearly instantaneously.

In some embodiments, switch activator 80 powers up the electronics andinitiates recording from a standby mode such as after button 64 has beenpushed to activate the pulse power mode. In other embodiments, switchactivator 80 powers up the electronics and initiates recording directlywithout any pre-activation. In some embodiments, a video encoder thatcooperates with image sensor 18 and a microprocessor providesinstructions to the video encoder. In some embodiments, switch activator80 is adapted to substantially simultaneously control supply of power tothe microprocessor, image sensor 18, and the video encoder, such thatwhen switch activator 80 is placed in the ON position themicroprocessor, image sensor 18, and the video encoder all receive powersubstantially concurrently and thereby substantially instantaneouslyinitiate a video data capturing operation.

In some embodiments, an audio encoder cooperates with a microphone 90,and the microprocessor provides instructions to the audio encoder. Insome embodiments, switch activator 80 is adapted to substantiallysimultaneously control the supply of power to microphone 90 and theaudio encoder such that when switch activator 80 is placed in the ONposition, the microprocessor, microphone 90, and the audio encoder allreceive power substantially concurrently and thereby substantiallyinstantaneously initiate an audio data capturing operation.

In some embodiments, when switch activator 80 is placed in the OFFposition, the microprocessor, image sensor 18, and the video encoder allcease to receive power substantially concurrently and therebysubstantially instantaneously cease the video data capturing operation.In some embodiments, when switch activator 80 is placed in the OFFposition, the microprocessor, microphone 90, and the audio encoder allcease to receive power substantially concurrently and therebysubstantially instantaneously cease the audio data capturing operation.

In some embodiments, the microprocessor, image sensor 18, the videoencoder, microphone 90, and the audio encoder all receive powersubstantially concurrently and thereby substantially instantaneouslyinitiate the video data and audio data capturing operations. In someembodiments, the microprocessor, image sensor 18, the video encoder,microphone 90, and the audio encoder all cease to receive powersubstantially concurrently and thereby substantially instantaneouslycease the video data and audio data capturing operations.

In some embodiments, switch activator 80 controls supply of power toadditional electronics such that the additional electronics aredeactivated when switch activator 80 is in the OFF position and suchthat the additional electronics are activated when switch activator 80is in the ON position.

Skilled persons will appreciate that switch activator 80 may be designedto have more than two slide settings. For example, in addition to ON andOFF settings for recording, switch activator 80 may provide anintermediate setting to activate laser sources 48, to activate one ormore status indicators, or initiate other functions in digital videocamera 10.

The use of a magnetic reed switch as an embodiment for switch activator80 prevents water or other fluids from entering through the camerahousing 22. Skilled persons will appreciate that other waterproof ON/OFFswitch designs are possible. In preferred embodiments, digital videocamera 10 also employs a waterproof microphone 90, such as anomni-directional microphone with a sensitivity (0 dB=1V/Pa, 1 KHz) of−44±2 dB and a frequency range of 100-10,000 Hz, for capturing audiodata and providing them to the data storage medium or to a second datastorage medium. Alternatively, camera housing 22 may include breathable,watertight materials (such as GoreTex™) to prevent the egress of waterwithout requiring a waterproof microphone 90. Skilled persons willappreciate microphones with a large variety of operational parametersthat are suitable for microphone 90 are commercially available or can bemanufactured to suit desired criteria.

In some embodiments, microphone 90 is positioned beneath switchactivator 80 such that switch activator 80 covers microphone 90 wheneverswitch activator 80 is in the OFF position and such that switchactivator 80 exposes microphone 90 whenever switch activator 80 is inthe ON position. The audio data capturing operation is preferablydeactivated when switch activator 80 is in the OFF position and that theaudio data capturing operation is preferably activated when switchactivator 80 is in the ON position. The ON and OFF conditions of theaudio data capturing operation may be controlled by switch activator 80in conjunction with the ON and OFF conditions of the video capturingoperation.

With reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, in some embodiments, camera housing 22includes main housing 100 that supports switch activator 80, a front andbottom trim piece 106, and back door 30 which is connected to mainhousing 100 through a hinge 102. In some embodiments, back door 30 maybe removable through its hinge 102 to allow connection of accessories tomain housing 100 for extended functionality. Back door 30 may provide anarea of thinner material to permit compression of button 64. Gaskets 114may be seated between main housing 100 and back door 30 to providewaterproofing. A housing cover 108 may be connected to main housing 100through a rubber gasket 110 that also enhances the waterproofcharacteristics of camera housing 22.

Side caps 112 may be ultrasonically welded to the exterior surfaces ofhousing cover 108 and the lower portion of main housing 100, which formthe lower portions of sides 28 of camera housing 22. In some embodimentscamera housing 22 is made from brushed aluminum, baked fiberglass, andrubber. In particular, main housing 100, housing cover 108, and sidecaps 112 may be made from aluminum. Front and bottom trim piece 106 mayalso be ultrasonically welded to main housing 100.

With reference to FIGS. 3A, 3B, 4A, 4B, 6, and 9, in preferredembodiments, digital video camera 10 includes part of a mounting system120 that has two or more housing rail cavities 122 and two or moreinterleaved housing rails 124 on each side 28 of camera housing 22 forengaging a versatile mount 126. An example of such a mounting system 120is the TRail™ mounting system, marketed by Contour, Inc, of Seattle,Wash.

Housing rail cavities 122 and housing rails 124 may be formed by cutouts in side caps 112 that are mounted to main housing 100. In someembodiments, digital video camera 10 is bilaterally symmetrical and hasan equal number of housing rail cavities 122 on each of side caps 112and an equal number of housing rails 124 on each of side caps 112. Insome embodiments, digital video camera 10 may for example provide twohousing rail cavities 122 (such as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B) or threehousing rail cavities 122 in each side cap 112 (such as shown in FIGS.4A and 4B). Skilled persons will appreciate, however, that in someembodiments, digital video camera 10 need not be symmetrical and mayhave an unequal number of rail cavities 122 on its side caps 112.

In some embodiments, rail cavities 122 have a “T”-like, wedge-like, ortrapezoid-like cross-sectional appearance. Skilled persons willappreciate that the dimensions of the stem or lateral branches of the“T” can be different. For example, the stem can be thicker than thebranches, or one or more of the branches may be thicker than the stem;similarly, the stem can be longer than the branches, and one or more ofthe branches may be longer than the stem. The cross-sectional shapes mayhave flat edges or corners, or the edges or corners may be rounded.Skilled persons will also appreciate that numerous other cross-sectionalshapes for rail cavities 122 are possible and that the cross-sectionalshapes of different housing rail cavities 122 need not be the samewhether in the same side cap 112 or in different side caps 112.Similarly, housing rail cavities 122 may have different lengths andhousing rails 124 may have different lengths. The bottom of trim piece106 may be alternatively or additionally fitted with housing rails 124.

In some embodiments, one or more of housing rail cavities 122 maycontain one or more bumps or detents 128. In some embodiments, each side28 of camera housing 22 contains at least one bump or detent 128. Insome embodiments, each housing rail cavity 122 contains at least onebump or detent 128. In some examples, however, only a single housingrail cavity 122 on each side 28 contains a bump or detent 128. Skilledpersons will appreciate that the different sides 28 need not contain thesame number of bumps or detents 128.

FIG. 9 shows a base mount 130 and a rail plug 132 that fit together toform a flat surface mount 134 shown in FIG. 10. FIGS. 11A-11D (FIG. 11)depict different views of camera housing 22 mated with fiat surfacemount 134. With reference to FIGS. 9-11, rail plug 132 contains one ormore mount rails 136 that are adapted to mate with housing rail cavities122 on camera housing 22. Similarly, rail plug 132 contains one or moremount rail cavities 138 that are adapted to mate with housing rails 124on camera housing 22. Mount rails 136 may have the same or differentcross-sectional shapes as those of housing rails 124, and mount railcavities 138 may have the same or different cross-sectional shapes asthose of housing rail cavities 122. In some preferred embodiments, rails124 and 136 and cavities 122 and 138 have the same cross-sectionalprofiles.

In some embodiments, one or more of mount rails 136 on rail plug 132 maycontain one or more detents or bumps 140. In some embodiments, eachmount rail 136 contains at least one detent or bump 140. In someexamples, however, only a single mount rail 136 contains a detent orbump 140. The detents or bumps 140 are adapted to mate with bumps ordetents 128 such that if camera housing 22 has detents 128 then railplug 132 has bumps 140 or if camera housing 22 has bumps 128 then railplug 132 has detents 140. Skilled persons will appreciate that in somealternative embodiments, housing rails 124 have bumps or detents 128 andmount rail cavities 138 have detents or bumps 140.

The versatile mounting system 120 provides for ease of mounting andorientation of digital video camera 10 with ease of detachment ofdigital video camera 10 with retention of the mounted orientation. Insome embodiments, base mount 130 may have a very small footprint and maybe attached to a surface with an adhesive pad designed for outdoor use.After base mount 130 has been attached to a surface, rail plug 132 canbe detached from base mount 130.

In some embodiments, rail plug 132 has a circumferential sawtoothed edge142 that is mated to a sawtooth-receiving inside edge 144 of a basemount cavity 146 adapted to receive rail plug 132. In some embodiments,rail plug 132 has a compression fit within base mount 130. In someembodiments, hook and loop double-toothed Velcro™ may be used instead ofor in addition to a compression fit technique to further secure railplug 132 within base mount 130.

Mount rails 136 of rail plug 132 can slide into housing rail cavities122 of camera housing 22 as mount rail cavities 138 of rail plug 132slide onto housing rails 124 of camera housing 22 as indicated by adirection arrow 148 (FIG. 9) to secure rail plug 132 to camera housing22. The mated detents and bumps 128 and 140 can be engaged to preventunintended lateral movement of rail plug 132 with respect to camerahousing 22. Rail plug 132 with the attached digital video camera 10 canbe rotated from zero to 360 degrees about an axis perpendicular to basemount 130 to capture a desired viewing angle. Then, rail plug 132 can beinserted or re-inserted into base mount 130 as indicated by a directionarrow 150 (FIG. 9). FIG. 11 shows from several different views howdigital video camera 10, rail plug 132, and base mount 130 appear whenthey are mated together.

In some embodiments, rail plug 132 and base mount 130 may be made from ahard, but flexible material such as rubber or a polymer with similarproperties, but skilled persons will appreciate that rail plug 132 andbase mount 130 may be made from a hard or soft plastic. Because basemount 130 can be flexible, it can be attached to a variety of surfacessuch as, for example, the surfaces of helmets, snowboard decks, skis,fuel tanks, windows, doors, and vehicle hoods. The type and flexibilityof the material of flat mount 126 may provide a “rubber” dampeningeffect as well as enhance rail sliding, rail engagement, and plugengagement. Mounting system 120 may also include a runaway leash (notshown).

When recording of an activity is completed, rail plug 132 with theattached digital video camera 10 may be disengaged from base mount 130for safe storage or data uploading. Base mount 130 can be left attachedto the surface and need not be re-attached and/or re-adjusted.Alternatively, camera housing 22 may be disengaged from rail plug 132,leaving rail plug 132 engaged with base mount 130 so that the originalorientation of mount rails 136 of rail plug 132 is maintained to permitquick reattachment of digital video camera 10 without requiring itsorientation to be re-adjusted to base mount 130 or the person,equipment, or vehicle to which base mount 130 is mounted.

FIG. 12 shows an alternative rail plug 132 a; and FIGS. 13A, 13B, 13C,13D, and 13E (FIG. 13) show several views of rail plug 132 a with analternative base mount 130 a, including locked and unlockedconfigurations, to form a pole mount 126 a for mounting on a pole 160such as handle bars. With reference to FIGS. 12 and 13, rail plug 132 amay be used as a standalone mount with an adhesive backing, or it may beused in conjunction with or integrated into one or more varieties ofbase mounts 130 a. Rail plug 132 a may be attached to base mount 130 athrough the use of an adhesive mounting, through the use of Velcro™,through the use of a screw, through the use of other conventionallyknown means, or combinations thereof. Mount rails 136 may be formed toprovide an aperture 162 to provide access for a screw and screwdriver tomount rail plug 132 a onto base mount 130 a.

Base mount 130 a is configured to open and close around poles 160,particularly poles of standardized recreational equipment and especiallysuch poles having small diameters of about 1-1.5 inches (2.5-3.8 cm). Insome embodiments, base mount 130 a has a locking pin 164 with a head 166that can be secured within a lock chamber 168. Locking pin 164 increasescompression against pole 160 to prevent base mount 130 a from rotatingaround pole 160 after its desired positioned is established. Base mount130 a may also be provided with a pin door cover 170 to prevent debrisfrom accessing locking pin 164 or lock chamber 168.

FIGS. 14A, 14B, 14C, 14D, and 14E (FIG. 14) show several views of a railplug 132 b with an alternative base mount 130 b, including a strap 172,to form a pole mount 126 b for mounting on a pole 160 b such as a rollcage, a windsurfing mast, or a hang glider support. With reference toFIG. 14, in some embodiments, strap 172 is large enough to accommodatepoles 160 b having a diameter up to 4 inches (12 cm) or larger. In someembodiments, a dial 174 may be employed to tighten and loosen strap 172.In other embodiments, dial 174 controls the swivel of rail plug 132 bwith respect to base mount 130 b so that the side-to-side angle ofdigital video camera 10 can be adjusted. As with rail plug 132 a, railplug 132 b may be attachable to base mount 130 b or may be integratedwith it.

FIGS. 15A, 15B, and 15C (FIG. 15) show several views of a rail plug 132c attached to or integrated with alternative base mounts 130 c and 130 eof respective band or strap mounts 126 c and 126 e for mounting on abelt, strap, or band 180, such as a band 180 of a pair of goggles 182.With reference to FIG. 15A, base mount 130 e has a dampener 184 a and astrap entrance 186 a on an interior side of the base mount 130 e, i.e.,facing in the direction opposite to that mount rails 136 face. Dampener184 a may be made from rubber or other suitable cushioning material tocushion a user's head away from digital video camera 10.

With reference to FIG. 15B, a dampener 184 b is provided on an interiorside of base mount 130 c, i.e., facing in the direction opposite to thatmount rails 136 face. However, a strap entrance 186 b is provided on anexterior side of base mount 130 c, i.e., facing in the same directionthat mount rails 136 face. FIG. 15C shows base mount 130 c of FIG. 15Bmounted upon strap 180 of goggles 182. Skilled persons will appreciatethat the rail plug 132 a can be substituted for rail plug 132 c.

FIG. 16 shows a rail plug 132 d with an alternative base mount 130 d ofa helmet mount 126 d for mounting on a vented helmet. Helmet mount 126 dincludes one or more slots 190 through which a strap can be used tosecure base mount 130 d to a helmet through vent slots in the helmet.Skilled persons will appreciate that rail plug 132 a can be substitutedfor rail plug 132 d.

FIG. 17 is a front perspective view of another alternative goggle basemount 130 f, adapted for employing a strap 192 for attachment to goggleband 180 (FIG. 15C). Strap 192 can be looped through buckles 194 and 196to secure base mount 130 f to goggle band 180. Base mount 130 f isadapted to receive circular rail plug 132 (FIG. 10) that permits360-degree rotation of mount rails 136. Such embodiments permit a useradjust the angle of digital video camera 10 to be different from thevertical viewing angle of the user. For example, the user can be viewingdown at the ground while digital video camera 10 (and its image sensor18) captures images straight ahead. In some embodiments, base mount 130f may include pads 198 and 202 to dampen against vibrations and mayinclude retaining tabs 200 to prevent rail plug 132 from beinginadvertently jarred loose. Strap 192 may also or alternatively includepads 204 and 208.

Skilled persons will appreciate that base mounts 130 a through 130 d canalso alternatively be configured to receive a round rail plug 132 (ofFIG. 10) that permits 360-degree rotation of mounting rails 136. Forexample, FIG. 18 shows an alternative pole mount 126 g having a basemount 130 g adapted to receive circular rail plug 132 that permits360-degree rotation of mount rails 136. Such embodiments can facilitatecompensation for handle bars or other poles 160 or 160 b that may beangled backward or forward.

In some embodiments, base mount 130 g has a different locking mechanismfrom that of base mount 130 a (FIG. 13). For example, in someembodiments, a locking pin 210 is attached by a hinge 212 to base mount130 g, and locking pin 210 is attached at its other end to a pin doorcover 214 through a hinge 216. Locking pin 210 cooperates with hingedoor cover 214 to increase compression against pole 160 to prevent basemount 130 g from rotating around pole 160 after its desired position isestablished. Skilled persons will appreciate that base mount 130 a mayalternatively employ this locking mechanism. In some embodiments, basemounts 130 a and 130 g include a pole grip 218 to help maintain apreferred orientation of base mounts 130 a and 130 g with respect topole 160. In some embodiments, base mounts 130 and 130 a-130 g mayinclude a leash ring 220 adapted to receive a lease line that may beattached to an associated rail plug 132 and 132 a-132 d, digital videocamera 10, or the operator.

FIGS. 19 and 20 are, respectively, perspective and top plan views of amounting system 300 that comprises rotatable circular rail plug 132 setin a base mount 130 h configured with a locking feature that allowsadjustment of digital video camera 10 when it is attached to a mountingsurface. FIGS. 21 and 22 are, respectively, perspective and top planviews of base mount 130 h. Base mount 130 h is of generally rectangularshape and includes in its top wall 302 a large diameter circular opening304 and in its bottom wall 306 a smaller diameter circular opening 308.Base mount 130 h has opposite side walls 310 and 312 through whichaligned, generally rectangular slots 314 of the same size are formed andopposite side walls 316 and 318 on the inner surfaces of which spatiallyaligned sawtooth-receiving edges 144 are formed. The inner surfaces ofside walls 310, 312, 316, and 318 include arcuate segments that aresized to permit bidirectional ratcheted rotational motion of circularrail plug 132 when it is set through circular opening 304 in base mount130 h with sawtooth-receiving edges 144 in matable relationship withcircumferential sawtoothed edge 142.

FIGS. 23A, 23B, 23C, 23D, and 23E are, respectively, perspective, topplan, end elevation, side elevation, and bottom plan views of a slidablelocking member 330 of generally rectangular shape. Slidable lockingmember 330 is sized to fit within each slot 314 and slidably extendthrough and project outside either one of side walls 310 and 312 wheninserted in both of slots 314 in base mount 130 h. Locking member 330 isa unitary structure that includes a generally planar center portion 332positioned between a locking end piece 334 and a nonlocking end piece336. Center portion 332 constitutes a recessed area that is bounded byraised end pieces 334 and 336 and into which circular rail plug 132 isinserted when mounting system 300 is assembled. Center portion 332includes an oblong hole 338 having opposite circular segments 340separated by straight line segments 342. U-shaped slots 344 cut incenter portion 332 on either side of oblong hole 338 provide downwardlydepending the locking tabs 346. Locking tabs 346 are sized andconfigured to slide across and fit into corresponding grooves 350 in afloor 352 of base mount 130 h. Locking end piece 334 has a serratedarcuate inner surface 354, and nonlocking end piece 336 has a smootharcuate inner surface 356. The curvatures of arcuate inner surfaces 354and 356 are complementary to the curvature of circular rail plug 132.

FIG. 24 is an exploded view of mounting system 300 to which is attachedan exemplary attaching mechanism. When mounting system 300 is assembled,locking member 330 is installed in base mount 130 h with end pieces 334and 336 fitted for sliding movement in slots 314. A plug 360 composed ofa top disk 362 and two downwardly depending legs 364 secures lockingmember 330 to and limits its range of travel within slots 314 in basemount 130 h. Top disk 362 fits in a recess in and thereby receives railplug 132, and flanges 366 extending from the free ends of legs 364secure plug 360 in base mount 130 h when the free ends of legs 364 arepushed through circular opening 308.

Mounting system 300 operates in the following manner. A user adjusts theangular position of digital video camera 10, which is operativelyconnected to mounting rails 136, by rotating rail plug 132 within basemount 130 h. To permit such rotation, the user pushes nonlocking endpiece 336 to slide locking member 330 so that serrated inner surface 354moves away from and does not engage sawtoothed edge 142 of rail plug132. Legs 364 of plug 360 contact the boundary of oblong hole 338 andthereby stop the sliding motion of locking member 330 with its lockingend piece 334 projecting outwardly from its associated slot 314. Lockingtabs 346 fit in their corresponding grooves 350 to releasably holdlocking member 330 in its unlocked position. Rotation of rail plug 132provides audible, tactile feedback to the user because of the meshingrelationship between sawtooth-receiving edges 144 and sawtoothed edge142.

Upon completion of angular position adjustment of digital video camera10, the user locks rail plug 132 in place by pushing locking end piece334 to slide locking member 330 so that serrated inner surface 354engages sawtoothed edge 142 of rail plug 132. The sliding motion oflocking member 330 stops with its nonlocking end piece 336 projectingoutwardly from its associated slot 314. Locking tabs 346 fit in theircorresponding grooves to releasably hold locking member 330 in itslocked position.

Base mount 130 h can be directly mounted to a mounting surface with useof an adhesive. Base mount 130 h also may be mated to a variety ofmounting surfaces by adding a custom connecting plate, such asstrap-connecting plate 370, with screws 372 or another technique such asadhesive bonding or welding. These connecting plates may alter the shapeof base mount 130 h to better connect to shaped surfaces or may includea variety of attaching mechanisms, such as, for example, a strap 374 ora hook.

With reference again to FIGS. 3B, 3E, 4B, and 5, button 64 (or anadditional button 388) may control one or more status indicators such asLED 82 that indicates via light pipe 84 that digital video camera 10 isrecording. Button 64 (or additional button 388) may, for example, alsocontrol operation of an LED 390 that indicates through a light pipe 392the power status of a battery (not shown). In some embodiments, a singlepush controls two or more status indicators (or all of the statusindicators, and may control laser sources 48 and a recording standbymode as well).

In some embodiments, the status indicators may provide a different colordepending on the status of the item in question. In some embodiments,green, yellow, and red LEDs are used to indicate whether the battery iscompletely charged, half-charged, or nearly depleted. Similarly, in someembodiments, green, yellow, and red LEDs are used to indicate whetherthe SD memory card is nearly empty, half-empty, or nearly full. In otherembodiments, green light indicates greater than or equal to 80% space orcharge, yellow light indicates greater than or equal to 30% space orcharge, and red light indicates less than 30% space or charge. Skilledpersons will appreciate that the number and meaning of colors can bevaried. Camera housing 22 may provide symbols indicating what itemslight pipes 84 and 392 designate, such as a battery symbol 394 and amemory card symbol 396 on back door 30.

To facilitate an easier and more manageable process for the video onceit has been recorded, digital video camera 10 may be designed toautomatically segment the video into computer and web-ready file sizes.The segment can be automatically determined by the hardware during therecording process without intervention by the user. In some embodiments,software will automatically close a video file and open a new file atpredefined boundaries. In some embodiments, the boundaries will betime-based, for example, ten minutes for each segment, or size-based,for example 10 MB for each segment. Additionally, the segmentationprocess may be designed so that file boundaries are based on presetlimits or so that the user can adjust the segment length to the user'sown preferred time. In some embodiments, the video encoder (hardware orsoftware based) will optimize the file boundary by delaying the boundaryfrom the nominal boundary position until a period of time withrelatively static video and audio, i.e., when there are minimal changesin motion. Skilled persons will appreciate, however, that in someembodiments, such segmentation may be implemented via software orhardware.

Digital video camera 10 is an all-in-one, shoot and store digital videocamcorder and is designed to operate in extreme weather conditions andin a hands-free manner. Digital video camera 10 is wearable and designedfor rugged environments (water, heat, cold, extreme vibrations), and theContour 1080P™ system includes application mounts 126 to attach to anyperson, equipment, or vehicle. The internal components of digital videocamera 10 may be silicon treated, coated, or otherwise insulated fromthe elements, keeping digital video camera 10 operational, no matter themud, the dirt, the snow, and the rain.

Preferred embodiments of digital video camera 10 are equipped withwireless connection protocol and global navigation and locationdetermination, preferably global positioning system (GPS), technology toprovide remote image acquisition control and viewing. The Bluetooth®packet-based open wireless technology standard protocol is used toprovide control signals or stream data to digital video camera 10 and toaccess image content stored on or streaming from digital video camera10. The GPS technology enables tracking of the location of digital videocamera 10 as it records image information. The following describes indetail the implementation of the Bluetooth® protocol and GPS technologyin digital video camera 10.

Preferred embodiments of digital video camera 10 permit the mounting ofcamera housing 22 upside down while retaining the proper orientation ofthe video images by mechanical or electrical 180° rotation of lens 26.The mechanical rotation is shown in FIGS. 25A, 25B, 25C, 25D, and 25E.FIGS. 25A, 25B, 25C, and 25D are front perspective views of digitalvideo camera 10 showing lens 26 set in a vertical position, with camerahousing 22 of digital video camera 10 rotated 90° counter-clockwise, notrotated, rotated 90° clockwise, and rotated 180° to an invertedposition, respectively, relative to the vertical position. FIG. 25E is afront elevation view of digital video camera 10 in the orientation ofFIG. 25B annotated with dimension lines indicating 185°counter-clockwise and 95° clockwise ranges of angular displacement ofhorizontal image plane 16 achievable by manual rotation of rotarycontroller 14. The orientation may be flipped prior to signal processingby simply altering the pixel selection or can be flipped during signalprocessing by simply altering the interpretation of the pixels. Theorientation can be automatically controlled by sensing the orientationof camera housing 22 using a variety of sensors and altering the pixelsbased on these data.

FIGS. 26A and 26B, FIGS. 27A and 27B, FIG. 28, and FIGS. 29A and 29Bshow the configuration of digital video camera 10 in which Bluetooth®wireless protocol and GPS technology are implemented to enable remoteimage acquisition control and viewing. FIGS. 26A and 27A are frontperspective views of digital video camera 10 with slidable switchactivator 80 in its respective recording ON and recording OFF slidesetting positions; and FIGS. 26B and 27B are top plan views of thedigital video camera 10 with slidable switch activator 80 in itsrespective recording ON and recording OFF slide setting positions. Aportion of switch activator 80 is broken away in these drawing figuresto reveal the placement of certain internal component parts described ingreater detail below.

FIG. 28 is a partly exploded view of digital video camera 10, showingthe placement and mounting arrangement of component parts implementingBluetooth® wireless protocol and GPS receiver technology in main housing100 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. A Bluetooth® wireless module 400 isinstalled in main housing 100 at a location proximal to rotarycontroller 14. A GPS assembly 402 is installed in main housing 100 at alocation proximal to back door 30 of camera housing 28. Optical supportbarrel 32 a having an open ended slot 404 fits over main housing 100 inan orientation such that Bluetooth® wireless module 400 and the upperend of GPS assembly 402 fit and are thereby exposed within slot 404.Switch activator 80 provided with a two-dimensional array of circularopenings 406 fits over and slides within slot 404 between the recordingON slide setting position shown in FIGS. 26A and 26B and the recordingOFF slide setting position shown in FIGS. 27A and 27B. Openings 406provide an audible sound passageway to facilitate pickup by microphone90 of spoken words or other sound effects.

Common implementations for sliding switches that have long travel entailuse of a magnet to pull and hold the switch in its final position or useof a switch mechanism continuously pressed by the user over the fulltravel distance and provided with a holding mechanism in place in the ONand OFF positions. Digital video camera 10 is equipped with a slideswitch mechanism that solves the problems associated with long traveldistance. A scissor spring 408 assists in actuating slidable switchactivator 80 over the long travel range between the recording ON and OFFslide setting positions.

FIGS. 26B, 27B, and 28 show a preferred shape of scissor spring 408 andthe manner in which it cooperates with the geometric features of innerside wall surfaces 410 and an inner end wall surface 412 formed in anunderside cavity 414 of switch activator 80. Scissor spring 408 is aone-piece wire member including multiple bends that form a U-shapedcenter portion 420 having rounded distal ends 422 from each of which aleg portion 424 upwardly extends back toward center portion 420.U-shaped center portion 420 includes a base member 426 and two generallyparallel side members 428 that terminate in rounded distal ends 422.Upwardly extending leg portions 424 diverge generally outwardly awayfrom side members 428 and terminate in ends 430 that are inwardly benttoward side members 428 and do not extend beyond center portion 420. Acurved section 432 in each leg portion 424 forms its inwardly directedbend and provides a bearing surface that contacts an inner side wallsurface 410 of switch activator 80.

FIGS. 26A, 26B, 27A, and 27B show the geometric features in inner sidewall surfaces 410 and inner end wall surface 412 of switch activator 80.Each side wall surface 410 includes an inwardly directed beveled portion440 having an apex 442 and a proximal end 444 and a distal end 446located respectively nearer to and farther from end wall surface 412.

Installation of scissor spring 408 in main housing 100 entails placementof U-shaped center portion 420 with its base member 426 and side members428 against a raised block 450 on a top surface 452 of a printed circuitboard (PCB) 454 of GPS assembly 402. The length of base member 426 ischosen to establish a snug fit of raised block 450 within U-shapedcenter portion 420 to keep scissor spring 408 stationary during slidingmotion of switch activator 80. As shown in FIGS. 26A and 26B, wheneverswitch activator 80 is in the recording ON slide setting position,curved sections 432 of scissor spring leg portions 424 rest in shallownotches formed at distal ends 446 of beveled portions 440. As shown inFIGS. 27A and 27B, whenever a user slides switch activator 80 from therecording ON slide setting position to the recording OFF slide settingposition, curved sections 432 exit the shallow notches at distal ends446, slide along entire lengths of beveled portions 440, and come torest at shallow notches formed at proximal ends 444 of beveled portions440. Curved sections 432 of leg portions 424 are of complementary shapeto curved sections 448 of inner end wall surface 412.

The shaping of scissor spring 408 imparts resistance to prevent theinitial sliding motion of switch activator 80 in either direction, butin response to user applied pressure overcoming the resistance, switchactivator 80 automatically travels to the stopping position withouteffort by the user. Scissor spring 408 exerts passive resistance to anymotion and therefore holds switch activator 80 in the proper positionuntil the user again moves switch activator 80. The shape of scissorspring 408 can be varied based upon, for example, the geometry of switchactivator 80, the length of travel, and desired holding force.

The above-described spring solution is uniquely resistant to vibrationand is well-suited for a high vibration environment. Scissor spring 408is an improvement over magnetic sliding switch movements because theformer does not introduce magnetic interference that may affect otherfunctions in digital video camera 10. Scissor spring 408 is also animprovement over a double detent implementation because the user isconfident switch activator 80 is in the proper position. This springsolution could be expanded to include a combination of springs toprovide specialized motion or specific force profiles. This springdesign can also control linear or circular motion.

FIGS. 29A and 29B show respective perspective and exploded views of GPSassembly 402 separate from main housing 100, in which GPS assembly 402is installed for operation in digital video camera 10. GPS assembly 402includes a GPS passive patch antenna 456 and a GPS receiver module 458to provide GPS functionality to digital video camera 10. A GPS groundplane 460 in the form of a stepped, generally U-shaped aluminum shroudis positioned between patch antenna 456 and GPS printed circuit board454 and affixed to top surface 452 of the latter by GPS ground planemounting tape 462. GPS receiver module 458 is mounted to GPS printedcircuit board 454 on its bottom surface 464. A preferred GPS patchantenna 456 is a Model PA1575MZ50K4G-XX-21, which is a high gain,customizable antenna available from INPAQ Technology Co., Ltd., Taiwan.GPS patch antenna 456 is custom tuned to its peak frequency to accountfor detuning effects of the edges of optical support barrel 32 a. Apreferred GPS receiver module 458 is a Model NEO-6 module available fromu-blox AG, Switzerland.

FIGS. 29A and 29B show that GPS ground plane 460 is physically shaped tocomplement or mirror the curved shape of optical support barrel 32 a ofhousing 22 so that the ground plane area can be maximized as the shapeof the ground plane conforms to, i.e., without altering, the shape ofcamera housing 22. Additionally, GPS patch antenna 456 is supported byits own internal ground plane, which is arranged such that it overlapsthe inside of the existing aluminum case. This overlap allows RFcurrents to pass between the aluminum case and GPS ground plane 460through capacitive coupling and hence have the effect of increasing thesize of the overall ground plane area. This increased ground plane areafurther improves the GPS reception. Moreover, GPS patch antenna 456 istuned with these components coupled for optimal reception by the overallsystem. The ground plane customization and electrical coupling to camerahousing 22 or other metal components of digital video camera 10 improveperformance by achieving higher antenna gain and consequent enhancedsignal reception when digital video camera 10 is mounted in multiplepositions.

When recording video or taking photographs in a sports application,digital video camera 10 is often mounted in a location that does notpermit the user to easily see the camera. Implementing digital videocamera 10 with a wireless connection protocol enables remote control ofthe operation of and remote access to image data stored in digital videocamera 10. In preferred embodiments, the integration of Bluetooth®wireless technology in the wearable digital video camera 10 facilitatesimplementation of several features, including remote control, frameoptimization, multi-camera synchronization, remote file access, remoteviewing, data acquisition (in combination with GPS capability), andmulti-data sources access (in combination with GPS capability).

Implementing Bluetooth® wireless technology in digital video camera 10enables the user to control it remotely using a telephone, computer, ordedicated controller. This allows digital video camera 10 to remainsleek, with few buttons and no screen. Additionally, a lack of need foraccess to a screen or controls provides more flexibility in mountingdigital video camera 10.

The remote control device (i.e., telephone, computer, dedicated viewer,or other Bluetooth®-enabled device) can access files stored on digitalvideo camera 10 to allow the user to review the content in such filesand manage them on the camera. Such access can include file transfer orfile playback in the case of video or audio content.

Using a wireless signal transfer, the remote device can access datastreaming from digital video camera 10. Such data can include camerastatus, video, audio, or other data (e.g., GPS data) collected. Standardvideo can exceed the bandwidth of a Bluetooth® connection. To resolveany quality of service issues, a fast photo mode is used to simulatevideo. In this case, photographs are taken in succession, then streamedand displayed in sequence to simulate video playback. Firmware in a mainprocessor captures and streams the photographs, and the receivingapplication is designed to display photographs in quick succession. Tobe space efficient, the photographs may be stored in a FIFO buffer sothat only limited playback is available.

Alternative implementations of a remote viewer include one or more ofreduced resolution or frame rate, file sectioning, frame sampling, andWi-Fi to media server. Reduced resolution or frame rate entailsrecording video in two formats, high quality and low quality, in whichthe lower quality file is streamed or played back after the recordedaction has taken place. For streaming implementation, wirelessconnection bandwidth can be monitored to adapt to the availablebandwidth the resolution, bit rate, and frame rate on the secondaryrecording. Additionally, buffering can be used in conjunction withadaptive bit rate control. File sectioning entails breaking a recordinginto small files and transferring each file upon completion to allow forviewing via a wireless device in near real time. File transfer may bedelayed so as to limit interruptions that result from bandwidthlimitations. Frame sampling entails real time video frame sampling(e.g., video compression intraframes (I-frames) only). Wi-Fi to mediaserver entails use of Wi-Fi to establish the camera as a media server onselected networks, allowing other devices to read and play contentaccessed from the device.

FIG. 30 is a simplified block diagram showing a preferred implementationof wireless technology in digital video camera 10. FIG. 30 shows digitalvideo camera 10 with built-in Bluetooth® wireless module 400 thatresponds to a Contour Connect Mobile App application software executingon an operating system for mobile devices such as smartphones and tabletcomputers to enable such a mobile device to become a wireless handheldviewfinder. A Contour Connect Mobile App that is compatible for use withan iOS mobile operating system of Apple®, Inc. is available on theiPhone App Store and that is compatible for use on an Android mobileoperating system of Google Inc. is available on the Android Market. Thefirmware of a main processor 500 stores an updated version of compatiblesoftware to respond to the Contour Connect Mobile App executing on amobile device. This wireless connection capability enables a user toconfigure camera settings in real time and preview what digital videocamera 10 sees. Specifically, a user can check the camera angle on thewireless device screen and without guesswork align the camera shot andadjust video, light level, and audio settings before beginning theactivity he or she wants to record.

The functionality permitted across industry standard interfaces is oftenlimited by the receiving or transmitting device based on itspermissions. This means that one device may refuse to permit certainfunctionality if the other device does not have proper certificates orauthentications. For example, the Apple® iPhone and similar productsrequire certain security authentication on data signals transmittedusing the Bluetooth® interface. The security requirements on suchinterfaces vary by product and the manufacturer. Oftentimes the sameproduct is intended to connect with a variety of devices, and it is notdesirable to integrate the security component for all possible featuresor external devices.

In preferred embodiments, the signal path is designed such that thepresence of this security integrated circuit is not required for fullfunctionality for such other devices. However, by including a connectorin this signal path, a security module can be added by the user aftermanufacturing to allow connection with such controlled devices. Byincluding such a connector in the signal path, the relevant signalsecurity module may be provided separately for only those applicationsthat require such security authentication. Additionally, in preferredembodiments, the Apple® security card is packaged separately as aself-contained card. The circuit is designed to retain theauthentication integrity but to interface with the controlling devicethrough a standard connector. FIG. 30 also shows placement of a ContourConnect View (security) Card 502 in a card slot and connector 504 ofdigital video camera 10 to enable connection with a supported Apple® iOSdevice. A Contour Connect View Card is available from Contour, Inc., theassignee of this patent application.

FIG. 31 is a flow diagram showing the pairing of two devices byBluetooth® wireless connection. Main processor 500 of digital videocamera 10 stores a data file identifying a Bluetooth®-enabledviewer/controller device 510. (An appearance of a smiley face icon inthe flow diagrams indicates action by or display of status informationto a user.) A user presses a wireless connection activator button(preferably located near switch activator 80 but not shown in thedrawings) on camera housing 22 to turn on Bluetooth® module 400, whichtransmits a Bluetooth® (“BT”) Connection Request signal to Bluetooth®connection-enabled viewer/controller 510. Viewer/controller 510 receivesthe Bluetooth® Connection Request signal, determines whether there is aBluetooth® ID connection match pair, and upon recognition of a matchpair, determines whether viewer/controller 510 is iOS or Androidimplemented. If it is Android implemented and therefore Apple® securityis not required, viewer/controller 510 allows and launches the ContourConnect Mobile App to perform Bluetooth® data transfer to and fromdigital video camera 10. If it is iOS implemented and Apple® security isrequired, viewer/controller 510 sends a Security Challenge signal forpassage through Bluetooth® module 400 and main processor 500 to anApple® coprocessor 514 mounted on Apple® security card 502. Apple®coprocessor 514 sends security codes for passage through main processor500 and Bluetooth® module 400 to viewer/controller 510, which confirmsthe security codes and allows and launches the Contour Connect MobileApp to perform Bluetooth® data transfer to and from digital video camera10.

The use of a data file to identify the Bluetooth® ID of a device allowstwo devices to pair when neither device has a display screen. FIG. 32 isa flow diagram showing an example of pairing Bluetooth® microphone 90and digital video camera 10, neither of which has a display screen.Digital video camera 10 and a controller 510′ are initially paired byBluetooth® wireless data connection, and the Contour Connect Mobile Appis active, as described above with reference to FIG. 31.Viewer/controller 510 and controller 510′ are of similar construction,except that the latter has no display screen. A user slides switchactivator 80 to its ON position to supply power to microphone 90 andtransmit a Pair Request signal to digital video camera 10, which detectsand forwards to controller 510′ a Microphone Pair Request signal forconfirmation. The user responds to the pairing request by manipulatingan actuator associated with controller 510′. If user actuation indicatesrefusal of the pairing request, controller 510′ concludes the pairingprocess. If user actuation indicates acceptance of the pairing request,controller 510′ transmits to digital video camera 10 a Confirmationsignal, together with a passcode if one is required by microphone 90.Upon receipt of the Confirmation signal, digital video camera 10transmits a Confirmation signal and any passcode to microphone 90 andthereby completes the pairing by initiating audio data capture andrecording by the audio encoder in digital video camera 10.

FIG. 33 is a flow diagram showing a preferred camera position adjustmentprocedure carried out by a helmet-wearing user, such as a bicycle orsnowboard rider or skier, to align digital video camera 10 mounted onthe user's helmet. Digital video camera 10 and viewer/controller 510 areinitially paired by Bluetooth® wireless data connection, and the ContourConnect Mobile App is active, as described above with reference to FIG.31. A launch control/viewer application instruction causes transmissionof a fast photo transfer Data Request signal to Bluetooth® datatransfer-enabled digital video camera 10, which responds by enabling thetaking of photographs in rapid succession (e.g., five photographs eachsecond) of the scene to which camera lens 26 is pointed. A mountingactivity sequence 520 indicated in FIG. 33 represents user activity ofmounting digital video camera 10 on the helmet, assuming a ridingposition, and adjusting the position and angle of digital video camera10 by selecting its mounting surface location on the helmet and rotatingrail plug 132 within base mount 130 h of mounting system 300. Theangle/position mounting adjustment performed by the user causes thetaking of photographs of the scene in rapid succession and transmittingthem for near real-time display to the user observing the display screenof viewer/controller 510. Successive iterations of angle/positionmounting adjustment, picture taking in rapid succession, and userobservation of the displayed scene continue until the user is satisfiedwith the position of the scene displayed, whereupon the mountingposition adjustment of digital video camera 10 on the helmet iscomplete.

Frame optimization can be accomplished with a remote control device orwithin digital video camera 10, if it is equipped with a screen andcontrols. Frame optimization may entail one or both of lighting andcolor optimization and frame alignment, either manually orautomatically.

FIG. 34 is a flow diagram showing a preferred manual lighting level andcolor settings adjustment procedure followed by the user aftercompleting the mounting position adjustment described above withreference to FIG. 33. The manual lighting level and color settingprocedure shown in FIG. 34 differs from the mounting position adjustmentprocedure of FIG. 33 in that 1) mounting activity sequence 520 does notapply, 2) a settings OK decision block replaces the Position OK decisionblock in viewer/controller 510, and 3) the manual angle/positionmounting adjustment causing the taking of photographs of the scene inrapid succession is replaced by transmission of a new settingsinstruction produced in response to user-manipulation of an alterlighting level and color settings actuator associated withviewer/controller 510. The manual lighting level and color adjustmentprocedure entails the user observing the successive photographs on thedisplay screen and manipulating the alter lighting level and colorsettings actuator associated with viewer/controller 510 until the useris satisfied with the lighting level and color displayed, whereupon themanual setting adjustment is complete.

Automatic lighting and color optimization uses video or photographicanalysis in controlling the device. FIG. 35 is a flow diagram showing apreferred automatic lighting level and color settings adjustmentprocedure followed by the user after completing the mounting positionadjustment described above with reference to FIG. 33. The automaticlighting level and color settings procedure shown in FIG. 35 differsfrom the manual lighting level and color settings procedure shown inFIG. 34 in that an Auto Adjust iterative loop replaces the Settings OKdecision block of FIG. 33. Specifically, a Start Auto Adjust processblock initiates an iterative Auto Adjust loop of programmed analysis ofphotograph color, lighting level, and position followed by a QualityOptimization decision query based on a set of programmed qualitystandards. The Auto Adjust loop iteratively performs the analysis andcauses transmission of a new settings instruction to digital videocamera 10 to take additional photographs for display and analysis byviewer/controller 510. The automatic lighting level and color adjustmentprocedure entails the automatic internal analysis of the photographs onthe display screen and preprogrammed automatic adjustment of thelighting level and color settings until the Quality Optimized decisionblock indicates that image quality meets preprogrammed optimum qualitystandards and the final Quality Optimized decision block indicates thatthe user is satisfied by user manipulation of an actuator indicating theautomatic setting adjustment is complete. Viewer/controller 510 canimplement tuning algorithms to analyze frames, adjust settings, andreanalyze the frames to optimize lighting level and color settings.Small and fine alignment adjustments can be made automatically byaltering the pixels used to define the frame. These adjustments can bemade by redefining the center pixel or by redefining the bounding box.These adjustments can be horizontal, vertical, and rotational, includingrotating a full 180° to allow for digital video camera 10 to bepositioned upside down, as shown in FIG. 25D. For more preciseoptimization, digital video camera 10 may be pointed at a predefinedchart to allow the automatic adjustments to achieve more precise andconsistent settings.

Use of the many-to-many nature of Bluetooth® wireless technology enablesa user to control multiple cameras. Multi-camera control allows for thecontroller to coordinate the lighting level and color settings on allcameras, provide guides for alignment of camera positions, andsynchronize the videos on multiple cameras with synchronous start/stopor synchronous “alignment” on-screen display (OSD) frames or audio soundthat can be embedded in the video to facilitate editing andpost-processing. Use of wireless connection allows one camera to providea synchronization signal to another camera so that videos can besynchronized in post-processing. The OSD frames may be stored in advancein the memory of digital video camera 10 and be simply triggered by aframe sync pulse to limit transmission bandwidth requirements and anyassociated errors or delays. This synchronization may includeinformation such as, for example, video file name and camera identity ofthe primary camera. To improve accuracy of synchronization timing, thewireless transfer rate can be calibrated by pinging a secondary deviceand listening for response. To further improve accuracy, thisping/response cycle is repeated multiple times.

A separate remote device can be used to pair two cameras in whichneither camera has a screen. FIG. 36 shows a (Master) Camera 1 and a(Slave) Camera 2 of the same type as digital video camera 10 aimed at acommon chart 530. The relative camera mounting can be adjusted to alignthe images in the Z-axis. The lighting level and color settings can beadjusted so that they are matched. Aligning the images and adjustinglighting level and color settings eliminate a need for post-processingwhen combining videos from multiple cameras at multiple angles orthree-dimensional views. FIG. 36 shows an iPhone paired to Cameras 1 and2 implemented with remote Start/Stop capability, which is describedbelow. Master Camera 1 sends an OSD frame sync pulse to Slave Camera 2.Master Camera 1 analyzes photographs from Slave Camera 2 and adjustssettings to match the alignment and settings of Master Camera 1.

FIG. 36 presents two illustrations of a display screen 532 ofviewer/controller 510 of an iPhone type showing for user observationside-by-side images produced by Cameras 1 and 2 viewing chart 530. Upperillustration 534 and lower illustration 536 show the comparativerelationship between the position and color matching, respectively,before and after correction. Illustration 534 shows Z-axis misalignmentof the two camera images and color imbalance, and illustration 536 showspost-correction image position alignment and color matching.

By controlling multiple cameras, the user is able to coordinate shotsfrom different angles and ensure the color and lighting settings aresimilar to allow for seamless switching in playback. The preferredembodiments could be expanded so that in the event there were multipledevices daisy-chained together, they could use a single authentication.For example, if there were two cameras that were connected viaBluetooth® to a device that required such authentication, the signalfrom one camera could route through the other to use its security andthe intermediary device would be the only device that requires suchsecurity provision. This security component may also be able to become astandalone component that is simply inserted into the security path as apass-through that adds the authentication or approval required only forthe receiving device and performs any translation required for theresponse to be interpreted properly.

FIG. 37 shows an exemplary user application to allow the user to changelighting level and color settings and immediately see the resultingchanged video. FIG. 37 is a flow diagram showing Camera 1 and an iOSmobile phone or tablet computer device 510 paired by Bluetooth® wirelessconnection and cooperating to accomplish without security thepass-through of Camera 2 data. A user pushes the wireless connectionactivator button on Camera 2 to transmit a Pair Connection Requestsignal to Bluetooth-enabled Camera 2, which detects the request,confirms the pairing, and transmits a signal to Camera 2 to complete thepairing. Camera 2 responds by taking photos in rapid succession andtransmitting them together with status information to Camera 1 forpass-through transmission to device 510 for display as Camera 2 imageand data on display screen 532. A user manipulates an actuatorassociated with device 510 to change lighting level and color settingsby causing transmission to Camera 1 a New Settings command signal forpass-through transmission to Camera 2, which responds by changing itslighting and color settings.

Data acquisition and data synchronization in the use of wirelesscommunication, preferably in cooperation with GPS capability, can beaccomplished by one of several techniques. When capturing video duringan activity, data may be used to better describe the activity as well asused for editing and optimizing either during recording or inpost-processing. Typically, these data would be embedded in the video asuser data or in the file as a data track (in accordance with MPEGspecifications). In a first alternative, the data may be written to atext track in the file. These data are ignored by players unless textdisplay is turned on. Post-processing algorithms extract these data foranalysis. Generally, the text track survives editing. In a secondalternative, the data may be written to a separate file, and the filename for the data may be written as metadata on the video file so thatpost-processing applications can properly associate the data with thevideo. Optimally, the data are synchronized with the video, but theyneed not be frame synchronized. In the event the data are stored in aseparate file, a timestamp could be used to synchronize the video. Thismarker may be embedded in the data file to tag the file at a single time(e.g., beginning, middle, end, or upon designation by the user), tag thefile with every video frame, or tag periodically.

FIG. 38 shows a hybrid flow diagram and pictorial illustration of iPhoneviewer/controller 510 paired by Bluetooth® wireless data and controlcommand connection to Cameras 1 and 2 to implement a remote Start/Stopcapability for multiple cameras. (Cameras 1 and 2 are also identified bythe respective reference numerals 10 ₁ and 10 ₂ to indicate they are ofthe same type as digital video camera 10.) The flow diagram shows iPhoneviewer/controller 510 paired to Cameras 1 and 2 and Contour ConnectMobile App in its active operating mode. The pictorial view of iPhoneviewer/controller 510 shows on its display screen 532 a Start Recordactuator.

The user wanting to start a recording session taps the Start Recordactuator to transmit to Bluetooth®-enabled Cameras 1 and 2 a StartRecording command signal. The flow diagram shows Cameras 1 and 2recording video data in response to the Start Recording command signal.Bluetooth® wireless module 400 in each of Cameras 1 and 2 is configuredto respond to the Start Recording command signal, irrespective of theOFF state of switch activators 80 of Cameras 1 and 2.

The user wanting to complete a recording session taps a Stop Recordactuator (not illustrated in FIG. 38) on display screen 532 to transmitto Cameras 1 and 2 a Stop Recording command signal. The flow diagramshows Cameras 1 and 2 stopping video recording in response to the StopRecording command signal.

FIG. 38 also shows upper and lower timing diagrams illustrating thetiming sequences of video frame acquisition by Cameras 1 and 2 when theyare, respectively, manually started asynchronously in response touser-positioning of switch activators 80 and started nearlysynchronously in response to user-tapping of the Start Record actuatoron display screen 532 of iPhone controller/viewer 510. The lower timingdiagram shows the benefit of wireless connection in accomplishing nearsynchronous acquisition of streams of video data from multiple cameras.

FIG. 39 is a flow diagram showing an example of pairing Camera 1 andCamera 2 by Bluetooth® wireless data and control command connectionthrough either viewer/controller 510 or controller 510′, the latter ofwhich is illustrated in FIG. 39. FIG. 39 shows Camera 1 paired byBluetooth® wireless connection to controller 510′ and Contour ConnectMobile App in its active operating mode. A user presses the wirelessconnection activator button on Camera 2 to turn on its Bluetooth® module400, which transmits a Bluetooth® Pair (connection) Request signal toCamera 1. Camera 1, which is already paired with controller 510′,detects the Pair Request signal and transmits a Camera Pair Requestsignal to controller 510′. Controller 510′ presents a pairing request tothe user, who manipulates an actuator to refuse the requested pairingconnection, and thereby stop the pairing process, or manipulates anactuator to accept the requested pairing connection, and therebytransmit and pass through Camera 1 to Camera 2 a Confirm Pairing signalto complete the pairing connection.

A synchronization calibration sequence 540 performed between Cameras 1and 2 calibrates transmission delays between them. Camera 1 transmits toCamera 2 a Sync Calibration signal, to which Camera 2 responds bytransmitting a Sync Response signal. Camera 1 determines a calibrationdelay representing the amount of delay from transmission of the SyncCalibration signal to receipt of the Sync Response signal. This processis repeated a number of times until successive measured calibrateddelays are within an operational tolerance.

A synchronized video recording process 542 starts upon completion ofsynchronization calibration sequence 540. Camera 1, operating as themaster camera and in response to a user-controlled trigger signal,transmits a Start Recording signal to Camera 2, which responds bystarting to record video data. Camera 1 starts to record video dataafter expiration of the calibrated delay determined by thesynchronization calibration sequence 540 to achieve a synchronized startof recording video data by Cameras 1 and 2.

An on-screen display (“OSD”) sync pulse insertion process 544facilitates video frame synchronization in video and audiopost-processing. Camera 1 transmits a Trigger OSD Sync signal to Camera2 in response to the start of video data recording by Camera 1. Camera 2responds to the Trigger OSD Sync signal by inserting an OSD Sync pulseoverlay in the stream of video frames Camera 2 acquires. Afterexpiration of the calibrated delay determined by synchronizationcalibration sequence 540, Camera 1 inserts an OSD Sync pulse overlay inthe stream of video frames Camera 1 acquires. The time base forcomputing calibration delay and OSD Sync pulse insertion is preferablyprovided by a GPS date/time clock available to GPS receiver 458.

A video and audio post-processing procedure 546 entails performing asearch of the streams of video frames for the OSD Sync pulses andshifting the timing of the stream of video frames of Camera 2 to matchthe OSD Sync pulses of Camera 1. The frame center, color, audio volume,and other parameters of the Camera 2 video and audio data are adjustedusing the OSD Sync pulse so that the streams of video and audio data canbe combined for multi-angle shots, three-dimensional images, or othereffects.

FIG. 40 is a block diagram showing the post-processing procedure ofsynchronizing audio data produced by a wireless microphone 550 and wiredmicrophone 90 incorporated in digital video camera 10. Audi dataproduced by microphone 90 are compressed by an audio codec 552. An audiosignal produced by wireless microphone 550 is received by Bluetooth®wireless module 400, converted to digital form by an analog-to-digitalconvertor 554, and compressed by an audio codec 556. Video data producedby image sensor 18 is compressed by a video codec 558, which resides inmain processor 500 of digital video camera 10. An Audio 1 Track ofhard-wired audio data, an Audio 2 Track of wireless audio data, and aVideo Track of video data delivered from the respective outputs of audiocodec 552, audio codec 556, and video codec 558 are combined andcontained as parallel tracks in an original video file 560 and stored inan SD memory card 562.

Wireless microphone 550 introduces a delay in the Audio 2 Track. FIG. 40illustrates this delay by showing a one-frame temporal offset betweencorresponding frames of the Audio 1 and 2 Tracks. The above-describedOSD Sync pulse functions as an audio time stamp that can be used tocorrect for the delay and thereby synchronize the Audio 1 and 2 Tracksfor automatic post-processing audio analysis. Post-processing isperformed in a peripheral computer 570, which includes a video editor572 having an audio tracks extraction module 574 that receives from SDcard 562 the stored Video, Audio 1, and Audio 2 Tracks data fromoriginal video file 560. Audio tracks extraction module 574 separatesthe Audio 1 and 2 Tracks, and an audio synchronizer module 576 using thetime stamp sync pulse synchronizes them. The synchronized Audio 1 and 2Tracks, together with the Video Track, are combined in a video/audiocombiner module 578 and delivered in proper temporal frame alignment toa new video file 580.

Data measurements performed depend on the type of data acquired. Themost appropriate data varies based upon sport or type of motionrecorded; therefore, ideally data sensors are tailored to the relevantsport. Additionally, the best location for measuring data is often notthe ideal location for mounting a camera.

FIG. 41 is a simplified block diagram showing the processing of a singletrack of data from one data source. FIG. 41 shows digital video camera10 including in its main processor 500 a video file 600 containing aVideo Track, an Audio Track, and a Text Track. The Video and AudioTracks correspond to, respectively, the Video and Audio 1 Trackscontained in original video file 560 of FIG. 40. The Text Trackrepresents data that are produced by a subtitle generator 602 hardwiredto main processor 500 and is presented for display on the video frames.

By using Bluetooth® with its many-to-many connections, multiple datasources can be recorded by the camera. These data sources can becustomized to the specific application, for example for automobileracing, data relating to the automobile engine may be captured fromon-board diagnostics and transmitted to digital video camera 10, wherethe data can be embedded in the video stream for later playback.Examples of multiple data sources include streaming data to one or morecameras from one or more data sources (e.g., GPS data from telephone orGPS collection device, and audio data from remote microphone) andstoring such data as individual files or embedded in the video file asmetadata, audio tracks, or text.

In post-processing, data associated with video content can be used inediting to correct for shade/lighting changes, to correct for videoprocessing errors, and to enhance the story with information about thepath taken, location of the video, speed, and other information.Location and time data embedded in video from sources such as GPS can beused to synchronize videos in post-processing generating athree-dimensional video. Speed, vibration, altitude, temperature, date,and location can be combined to determine the likely sport or activityas part of a post-processing suite. The recommendations can be tunedbased on data gathered from a large body of videos in which the activityin the video has been identified. Data associated with video content maybe used to associate and group videos from one or more users. Thegroupings may be based on any characteristic such as time, location,speed, and other factors. Videos that intersect in time or location maybe linked so that the viewer can transition to a different camera orvideo when two videos cross in location or time. Additionally, the datacan be used to correlate multiple cameras or videos to create multipleview angles for the same location or event. These data may also be usedto correlate videos of the same location taken over time to document thechanges in that location over extended durations (hours, days, weeks,years).

Multiple “language” tracks on video file can be used to capturedifferent audio sources (including wireless microphone) from the videocamera. This allows the user to select from the optimal audio source inpost-processing or allows automatic correction for signal errors andsynchronization issues. By storing multiple sources, users arepost-processing algorithms and may select the most reliable track in theevent there is a dropout resulting from signal quality issues caused byuse of a wireless device. Additionally, audio may be captured frommultiple sources and from different locations to provide different audioinformation so that the preferred audio may be selected inpost-processing. In the event multiple audio tracks are not available,data tracks may be used and the data can be converted into an audiosource in post-processing. In the event the wireless audio source cannotbe channeled through the audio codec, the raw data can be stored andpost-processing can modify these data to convert them to audio. Anydelay introduced by the wireless connection can be corrected bysynchronizing the wireless audio source to the primary audio source(internal microphone) using the audio waveforms.

The foregoing approach differs from the prior art technique ofautomatically switching between an internal microphone and an externalmicrophone, where the external microphone is used when it exists andsoftware automatically reverts to the internal microphone when theexternal microphone signal is unavailable. Automatic switching would,however, mix audio from different locations and not provide a seamlessaudio experience.

FIG. 42 is a simplified block diagram showing the processing of multipletracks of data from multiple data sources. FIG. 42 shows digital videocamera 10 including in its main processor 500 a video file 610containing Video and Audio Tracks corresponding to those contained invideo file 600 of FIG. 41 and five text tracks described below.

A data processing and calculations module 612 of main processor 500receives data from GPS receiver 458, camera sensors 614, Bluetooth®wireless module 400 receiving data transmissions from Bluetooth®wireless connection-enabled sources, and a wired data module 614 anddelivers these data as Text Track 1, Text Track 2, Text Track 3, TextTrack 4, and Text Track 5, respectively.

Text Track 1 contains GPS data such as longitude, latitude, elevation,date/time, and other data available from GPS receiver 458. The date/timeinformation enables associating acquired video and other data, includingdata on Text Tracks 2-5, to a certain time point in the video datastream. Peripheral computer 570 takes the time-stamped information anddisplays it by time point. The transmission delay calibration describedwith reference to FIG. 39 can be implemented using the GPS-provideddate/time clock as a time standard.

Text Track 2 contains operating parameter data such as video resolution,compression rate, and frame rate information available from camerasensors 614 associated with digital video camera 10.

Text Tracks 3 and 4 contain data acquired from Bluetooth® wirelessconnection-enabled Data A and Data B transmission sources such as, forexample, race car engine sensor data and race car driver heart ratemonitor data. These data are typically periodically transmitted toBluetooth® module 400. Another example of Data A and Data B sources isdata sources transmitting data at different transmission rates.

Text Track 5 contains data produced from a text data module (e.g.,subtitle generator 602 of FIG. 41) hardwired to data processing andcalculations module 612.

It will be obvious to those having skill in the art that many changesmay be made to the details of the above-described embodiments withoutdeparting from the underlying principles of the invention. For example,skilled persons will appreciate that subject matter of any sentence orparagraph can be combined with subject matter of some or all of theother sentences or paragraphs, except where such combinations aremutually exclusive. The scope of the present invention should,therefore, be determined only by the following claims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A point of view digital video camera system, comprising: an integrated hands-free portable viewfinderless video camera, the video camera including a lens and an image sensor, the image sensor capturing light propagating through the lens and representing a scene to be recorded, and the image sensor producing real time video image data of the scene without displaying the scene to a user of the video camera, wherein the real time video image data of the scene relates to an activity in which the user of the video camera is about to engage, the video camera comprising: a camera processor for receiving the video image data directly or indirectly from the image sensor, and a wireless connection protocol device operatively connected to the camera processor to send real time video image content by wireless transmission directly to and receive control signals or data signals by wireless transmission directly from a wireless connection-enabled controller, wherein the camera processor is configured to: generate the video image content simultaneously at a first resolution and at a second resolution, the video image content at the first resolution and the second resolution corresponding to the video image data representing the scene to be recorded, wherein the first resolution is lower than the second resolution, stream the real time video image content at the first resolution using the wireless connection protocol device to the wireless connection-enabled controller without displaying the video image content at the video camera, receive the control signals for adjusting image capture settings of the video camera, adjust the image capture settings of the video camera prior to recording the scene, and in response to a record command, cause the video image content at the second resolution to be stored at the video camera; a mounting interface coupled to the video camera; a mount configured to be mounted to the body, a garment, or a vehicle of the user of the video camera, the mount configured to receive the mounting interface for rotatably mounting the camera on the body, the garment, or the vehicle of the user of the video camera, the mounting interface and the mount further configured for manual adjustment of the video camera with respect to the user of the video camera; and the wireless connection-enabled controller for controlling the video camera, the controller comprising executable instructions for execution on a personal portable computing device operable by a user of the personal portable computing device, wherein when executed, the executable instructions cause the personal portable computing device to: receive video image content at the first resolution directly from the video camera, display the video image content at the first resolution on a display of the portable computing device for adjustment of the image capture settings prior to the user of the video camera recording the activity, the video image content at the first resolution comprising a preview image of the scene which is not recorded on the camera or the personal portable computing device, the preview image allowing the user of the video camera to manually adjust an angle of the video camera with respect to the user of the video camera, and generate the control signals to the wireless connection protocol device on the video camera to allow the user of the personal portable computing device to remotely adjust the image capture settings prior to the video camera recording the activity, wherein the control signals comprise at least one of frame alignment, multi-camera synchronization, remote file access, data acquisition, and resolution setting adjustment and at least one of lighting setting adjustment, audio setting adjustment, and color setting adjustment.
 2. The point of view digital video camera system of claim 1, wherein the user of the video camera is the user of the personal portable computing device.
 3. A point of view digital video camera system, comprising: a hands-free compact portable video camera, comprising: a lens, an image sensor configured to capture light propagating through the lens and representing a scene, and produce real time video image data of the scene, a camera processor for receiving the video image data directly or indirectly from the image sensor, and a wireless connection protocol device operatively coupled to the processor and configured to send video image content by wireless transmission directly to and receive control signals or data signals by wireless transmission directly from a personal portable computing device executing an application; a mounting interface coupled to the video camera for mounting the video camera to a user of the video camera; and a camera mount configured to be mounted to at least one of the body, a garment, and a vehicle of the user of the video camera, the camera mount configured to couple to the mounting interface to mount the video camera on at least one of the body, the garment, and the vehicle of the user of the video camera, wherein the camera mount is further configured for manual adjustment of the video camera with respect to the user of the video camera, wherein the camera processor is configured to: generate first video image content and second video image content corresponding to the video image data representing the scene, wherein the second video image content is a higher quality than the first video image content, cause the wireless connection protocol device to send the first video image content directly to the personal portable computing device for display on a display of the personal portable computing device, wherein the first video image content comprises a preview image of the scene, the preview image allowing the user of the video camera to manually adjust an angle of the video camera with respect to the user of the video camera, and wherein the personal portable computing device generates the control signals for the video camera based at least in part on input received from a user of the personal portable computing device, wherein the control signals comprise at least one of a frame alignment, multi-camera synchronization, remote file access, data acquisition, and a resolution setting, and at least one of a lighting setting, a color setting, and an audio setting, receive, prior to a recording of the scene, the control signals from the personal portable computing device for adjusting one or more image acquisition settings of the video camera in accordance with input received at the personal portable computing device, and based at least in part on a record command, cause the second video image content to be stored in a storage device at the video camera.
 4. The point of view digital video camera system of claim 3, wherein the first video image content comprises at least one of a first image resolution that is lower than a second image resolution of the second video image content and a first frame rate that is lower than a second frame rate of the second video image content.
 5. The point of view digital video camera system of claim 3, wherein the control signals comprise the color setting.
 6. The point of view digital video camera system of claim 3, wherein the control signals comprise the lighting setting.
 7. The point of view digital video camera system of claim 3, wherein the control signals comprise the audio setting.
 8. The point of view digital video camera system of claim 3, wherein the video camera is configured as a server to the personal portable computing device.
 9. The point of view digital video camera system of claim 3, wherein the video camera does not have a scene preview screen.
 10. The point of view digital video camera system of claim 4, wherein the video camera does not have a screen for viewing the scene.
 11. A method for previewing and adjusting a scene to be recorded by a user on an integrated point of view digital video camera, the method comprising: capturing in real time the scene using the video camera, wherein the video camera comprises: a lens, an image sensor configured to capture light propagating through the lens and representing the scene, and produce real time video image data of the scene, a camera processor for receiving the video image data directly or indirectly from the image sensor, and a wireless connection protocol device operatively coupled to the processor and configured to communicate directly with a personal portable computing device executing an application; generating video image content corresponding to the scene to be recorded at a first quality and at a second quality, wherein the first quality is lower than the second quality; wirelessly transmitting the video image content at the first quality in real time using the wireless connection protocol device of the video camera directly to the personal portable computing device of the user, wherein the video image content at the first quality is displayed on a display of the personal portable computing device allowing the user to manually adjust an angle of the video camera with respect to the user using at least in part a mounting interface coupled to the video camera and a camera mount configured to be mounted to at least one of the body, a garment, and a vehicle of the user, and wherein the personal portable computing device generates control signals for adjusting image capture settings of the video camera, the control signals comprising at least one of a frame alignment, multi-camera synchronization, remote file access, data acquisition, and a resolution setting, and at least one of a lighting setting, a color setting, and an audio setting; receiving the control signals directly from the personal portable computing device to adjust the image capture settings of the video camera prior to recording the scene; and based at least in part on a record command, storing the video image content at the second quality at the video camera.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the video image content at the first quality comprises at least one of a first image resolution that is lower than a second image resolution of the video image content at the second quality and a first frame rate that is lower than a second frame rate of the video image content at the second quality.
 13. The method of claim 11, wherein the video image content at the first quality comprises a first image resolution that is lower than a second image resolution of the video image content at the second quality and a first frame rate that is lower than a second frame rate of the video image content at the second quality.
 14. The method of claim 12, further comprising: monitoring a wireless connection bandwidth between the wireless connection protocol device and the personal portable computing device, and adjusting at least one of the frame rate and the image resolution of the video image content at the first quality based at least in part on the monitored wireless connection bandwidth.
 15. The method of claim 11, further comprising based at least in part on the record command, storing the video image content at the first quality at the video camera.
 16. The point of view digital video camera system of claim 3, wherein the first video image content comprises a first image resolution that is lower than a second image resolution of the second video image content and a first frame rate that is lower than a second frame rate of the second video image content.
 17. The point of view digital video camera system of claim 4, wherein the camera processor is further configured to: monitor a wireless connection bandwidth between the wireless connection protocol device and the personal portable computing device, and adjust at least one of the frame rate and the image resolution of the first video image content based at least in part on the monitored wireless connection bandwidth.
 18. The point of view digital video camera system of claim 3, wherein the camera processor is further configured to cause the first video image content to be stored in the storage device at the video camera based at least in part on the record command.
 19. The point of view digital video camera system of claim 3, wherein the user of the video camera is the user of the personal portable computing device.
 20. The point of view digital video camera system of claim 1, wherein the video image content at the first resolution has a lower frame rate than a frame rate of the video image content at the second resolution. 